To determine the mechanistic basis of tolerance, we evaluated six candidate traits for tolerance to damage using F 2 interspecific hybrids in a willow hybrid system. A distinction was made between reproductive tolerance and biomass tolerance; reproductive tolerance was designated as a plant's proportional change in catkin production following damage, while biomass tolerance referred to a plant's proportional change in biomass (i. e., regrowth) following damage. F 2 hybrids were generated to increase variation and independence among candidate traits. Using three clonally identical individuals, pre-damage candidate traits for tolerance to damage (root:shoot ratio, total nonstructural carbohydrate, and total available protein) and post-damage candidate traits (relative root:shoot ratio, phenolic ratio, and specific leaf area ratio) were measured. The range of variation for these six candidate traits was broad. Biomass was significantly increased two years after 50% shoot length removal, and catkin production was not significantly reduced when damaged, suggesting that F 2 hybrids had great biomass tolerance and reproductive tolerance. Based on multiple regression methods, increased reproductive tolerance was associated with increased protein storage and decreased relative root:shoot ratio (reduced root allocation after damage). In addition, a positive relationship between biomass tolerance and condensed tannins was detected, and both traits were associated with increased reproductive tolerance. These four factors explained 57% of the variance in the reproductive tolerance of F 2 hybrids, but biomass tolerance explained the majority of the variance in reproductive tolerance. Changes in plant architecture in response to plant damage may be the underlying mechanism that explains biomass tolerance. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.
CITATION STYLE
Hochwender, C. G., Cha, D. H., Czesak, M. E., Fritz, R. S., Smyth, R. R., Kaufman, A. D., … Neuman, A. (2012). Protein storage and root: Shoot reallocation provide tolerance to damage in a hybrid willow system. Oecologia, 169(1), 49–60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-011-2176-9
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